Plans announced for massive renewable energy park in Neath Port Talbot 

Lewis Smith, local democracy reporter

Plans for a massive renewable energy park in Neath Port Talbot which could power more than 40,000 households across the country have been revealed.

EDF Renewables UK is looking to build Hirfynydd Renewable Energy Park near Crynant and Seven Sisters with an installed capacity of 100 MW – enough to power 40,000 properties with what they describe as ‘green electricity’.

The company say they would achieve this with a mixture of technologies that include a wind farm with up to seven turbines near the valley communities.

EDF Renewables UK has recently been carrying out early ecological and other feasibility studies, and have also began planning events for September where they can share information and get feedback from people living locally in the Crynant and Seven Sisters area.

Mix of technologies

In a statement posted to their website they described some of the plans they will look to undertake in the near future, saying: “EDF Renewables UK is looking to develop a mix of technologies at the site, including a wind farm of up to seven turbines, a solar farm and battery storage.

“Having a breadth of technologies increases the amount of energy that can be generated at the site in different weather conditions, with battery storage allowing surplus energy to be stored to provide grid balancing services.”

Simon Morgan,  principal project development manager at EDF Renewables UK, said: “Hirfynydd would make a positive contribution to our efforts to tackle climate change and at a time of global uncertainty over energy supply and costs, renewable energy projects are vital to dealing with these challenges.

“We are pleased to be developing Hirfynydd in partnership with three local farming families and we will work with the community to ensure that the project can deliver local benefits, such as a community fund and local ownership.”

EDF Renewables UK hopes to submit a planning application for Hirfynydd Renewable Energy Park towards the end of 2023. The application will be assessed by Planning and Environmental Decisions Wales, with a final decision being taken by the Welsh Government.